Description

A space simulation with elements from a number of other genres mixed in. Your mission is to destroy a robot army that has taken over a planet. Gameplay includes arcade sequences, where you fly your ship around and shoot the enemy robots; strategy elements, as you attempt to navigate and locate parts to repair the defense system; and even text-adventure elements, in the form of giving commands to your ship's computer.

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Trivia

Sequel

John Twiddy, the Commodore 64 programmer saw the potential of a sequel using techniques from Encounter to make the game better than the original Tau Ceti. The game was going to be called 'Attack on Centralis' but CRL turned it down due to an official sequel from Pete Cooke called Academy being programmed.

Spectrum packaging

The Spectrum version comes in unusually shaped and slightly unwieldy packaging, which makes complete copies in good condition quite rare. They have been known to sell for over £30 on eBay.

Awards

Commodore Format

July 1991 (Issue 10) - listed in the A to Z of Classic Games article (Great)

Computer Gamer

February 1986 (issue #17) - Included in the list Spectrum Collection (the best Spectrum ZX games since 1985 by editorial staff choice)